Precisely because it was a "special case", it was not until now that Corneille began to think of Shimanna's memory abnormality as "memory manipulation".
Shimanna's tears made her four guards grit their teeth, but unfortunately the opponent was Corneille, and proposing a duel would be tantamount to humiliating themselves, so they could only hold back their anger and escort their beloved master away from this dangerous place.
Gao Naiyi went back satisfied. His opponent was angry, but he did not dare to draw his sword because he was afraid of his strength, which satisfied his vanity as a supernatural being.
This incident also had an additional benefit: since he "humiliated" Shimanna in public, no woman has ever talked to him again.
Henry whispered, "In the eyes of the Waite people, what you just did was very unethical. To put it in an analogy, it's like a woman scratching a man's face in public in the Federation."
"I see. Everyone thinks they can't control a fierce, vulgar, and tough man like me."
"On the other hand, the witches who are attracted by this 'spiciness' all have bad and twisted personalities."
Henry sighed: "I'm not cursing you. You'll know if you stay in Weite for a while. They are like two different species from the women in the Federation... Of course, the men here are the same."
The classroom bell rang, and Henry stopped talking. The demonstration class presented to the guardians by the academy was about the history of the old empire.
"'Hathor took on many forms, but in her motherly duties she appeared only as a fig tree or a horned lady.
She fed successive emperors with fruits and milk, and the emperors regarded her as their great mother... until one emperor had evil thoughts and tried to have sex with Hathor to give birth to a new child.
Hathor refused and sent a meteorite to the earth to destroy the rebellious son's country.
The above description comes from the book "The Destruction of the Ancient Empire" published in the third year of the new calendar by the state religion - a church organization that worships the goddess Hathor.
From the perspective of a religious organization, it believes that the Old Empire was destroyed by the wrath of the goddess Hathor, but the more likely reality is that at the end of the Old Empire, the hedonistic and indulgent social trends led to the abuse of supernatural powers, which in turn caused a devastating disaster.
However, the rest of the description is consistent with the facts; in the Old Empire, emperors were often called Sons of Horus or Sons of Hathor.
According to the laws of the old empire, one of the necessary conditions to become an emperor is to become an apostle of Horus or Hathor and obtain the divine arts granted by them.
It is said that the magic granted by gods to mortals at that time was far more powerful than it is now, but the destruction of the old empire caused quite a number of gods to stop granting magic to mortals, and those who were still willing to bestow magic on mortals also greatly reduced the power of their magic.
Let's discuss this. Do you think the gods have become cautious about granting divine arts to mortals because they are disappointed with humans and want to avoid the recurrence of the old empire's abuse of power and self-destruction? "
Waite only had awe of the gods for their power, not religious worship, so their discussion of gods and the secular world was quite bold.
Henry, a believer of the goddess Hathor, kept wiping the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief when he heard these blasphemous words that were enough to be brought to the Inquisition.
Corneille, who possessed the magic of Hathor, looked calm. He was also a believer of the goddess Hathor, but the reason for his belief was that everyone in his hometown believed in her, so he believed in her too.
Can this be called faith, or is it just vulgar following the crowd?
Corneille felt that the goddess Hathor probably didn't care about this, otherwise the horned beauty would not have appeared in his dream, holding a turquoise key and piercing his chest, twisting his body.
He didn't feel any pain, he only remembered that the blood flowing out was full of the aroma of figs. This aroma extended from his memories to reality, making him eager to find Diaz after the class was over and walk to the cafeteria together.
"Diaz, have you made friends at school?" he asked.
"So far, I have been working with the team members. I should be considered friends with them." Dias whispered, "But it seems that everyone has their own secrets. It's better to be with Pierre and have a relaxing time."
"I'm keeping a secret from you too."
"It's different. Sometimes I can sense an ominous or strange aura from them, and sometimes I feel like they are looking at me with scrutiny... not as a person, but as a toy."
Cornell looked back and saw that Diaz's five team members, who were also his blind date partners, were following behind him, each communicating with their guardians.
To be honest, he took over the arrangements made by the previous Duke in Waite, but he had no idea how Fernando got connected with the family behind his blind date - except for the Barmak family who did sugar business with the Toledo family.
Moreover, Diaz is the only blind date candidate for these five witches. They get along peacefully with each other. No one actively pursues Diaz, but no one backs out. It seems that they have reached a consensus and are passively waiting for Diaz to make a choice before finding the next partner.
This is so strange. The witches are Waite's superiors. How could they make such concessions for a duke from a foreign country who has no real power?
Noticing Corneille's gaze, Anne smiled and rubbed the base of her left index finger with her hand. Corneille knew that she was hinting at their secret deal.
He turned to Dias and said: "If you are not satisfied with them, I will not force you to marry any of them. I care more about your happiness than the power of the Duke."
"In that case, when I finish my studies in Waite, Pierre will send me back to Eagle County, right?" Diaz asked.
"That's your home."
"She has been like this ever since she betrayed me. I don't know why my mother became so cold after I inherited my father's title? Does she resent my father, so she also resents me?"
Unfortunately, Dias's conjecture touched upon part of the truth, but it was not suitable for public discussion, so Corneille abruptly changed the subject -
"Diaz, please recommend something delicious in the school cafeteria. I'm already very hungry."
"Pierre, I'm glad you chose me and left that woman. I won't go back and won't let you meet that woman again.
To this end, I will carefully examine my blind date and marry the witch who best suits our interests...even though I will not love her.
But if I make that woman suffer, I can also be comforted."
Dias uttered words gently that sounded like a curse, and Corneille felt that his friend was both strange and familiar.
The young Duke looked up at him, his eyes clear and his expression innocent. The bright sunshine brought an illusion, and for a moment, Corneille felt that he was walking with Angelica.
A bitter feeling surged into his throat, and Corneille saw a sad future: Angelica's child, while refusing to become another Angelica, would follow the path that Angelica had once walked.
The 15-year-old Corneille could blame all the responsibility on his youth and ignorance, but the 25-year-old Corneille should be held responsible for all the mistakes. This was his sin and punishment.
At the end of the corridor, the bald cypress planted in the courtyard blocked the sunlight, and the shadows of the leaves swaying in the wind stripped away Angelica's phantom, but Corneille's condition did not improve. Dias looked at him intently, as if waiting for his statement.
At this moment, Anne turned to Dias gently and at the right time to rescue Corneille, and her fingers, intentionally or unintentionally, brushed over the part where Corneille wore the ring.
Chapter 47 Bond
"Let's talk, Mr. Corneille." Anne said with a smile, "Please understand the sensitive hearts of adolescent boys and girls. The presence of adults will make us feel constrained."
Corneille wanted it very much, and he told Anne with his eyes that he owed her one.
Anne smiled and watched him go talk to Henry.
Dias' eyes were cold: "Ms. Longueville, I respect you very much and think we will become good friends..."
"Dear Mr. Toledo, being too aggressive will only push him away. If you want to tie him down, you also need to act delicate and cute, and wrap yourself around him like a parasitic vine," said Anne.
Diaz was a little confused.
Anne spread her hands: "To be honest, from my perspective, it doesn't matter whether I help you or Mr. Corneille.
But Mr. Corneille has no moral integrity and always goes against me, so I hope to teach him a lesson through you. "
Diaz was a little angry: "You are making fun of us!"
"Don't say such harsh words. I just want to observe you and understand what 'love' is."
Diaz blushed and whispered, "I appreciate and love my friend just like I respect my father and brother. You misunderstood our relationship."
"The love between father and children, the love between brothers and sisters, and friendship... I also want to know about these loves."
Anne played with her hair in her hands: "I don't know how a father can love his children, and how a child can love her father, because my biological father died when I was a child.
I didn't know the family love between siblings because when my mother introduced my siblings to me, she called the boys 'the family's wealth' and the girls 'rivals'.
'Wealth' does not need family love, and there is only victory or defeat between 'competitors'.
My mother gathered all the girls together, distributed a fixed amount of resources every day, and let the girls fight for it. At the beginning, I couldn't compete with them and always suffered losses.
In addition to the fact that the resources related to practicing magic are far behind, these good sisters would even snatch my food. Seeing them having big meals every day, while I only have bread and water. "
"Ms. Longueville..."
Anne smiled and said, "Later, I killed them all. Then, I had endless resources to practice magic, and every meal was a feast."
Diaz's sympathy froze on his face, and Anne's smile made him shudder.
"I'm lying. Even if it's a competition between sisters, it won't get to the point where someone gets killed. It's just that I have no idea what normal feelings between brothers and sisters are like."
Anne sighed, "Our family's reputation also means that I have no friends. Some people who claim to be my friends are just asking for something from me."
Therefore, I am curious and envious of your relationship with Mr. Corneille. Sometimes, I even want to cast a sex-changing spell on myself and turn myself into a man so that I can join you. "
"Gender change or something..." Diaz's eyes wandered, "It sounds terrible."
"Maybe, but it seems that some people are living well after changing their gender."
Anne's eyes became sharp, like a snake staring at a frog, and Diaz was naturally the poor frog.
Dias felt suffocated under her gaze, and his rapid heartbeat made his face flush with a sickly red.
A broad shadow cut into the gap between the two of them. Dias turned around and saw Corneille. He took a step closer to him as if he had found a savior.
"Ms. Longueville, the one you are talking about is Her Royal Highness Isabella, right? She is the monarch that Dias is loyal to. If you make fun of her, Dias will be embarrassed," said Corneille.
Anne nodded: "It's my fault, Mr. Toledo, I apologize."
"No, nothing." Diaz answered guiltily.
They came to the cafeteria. There was no equality in Waite's political correctness, so the food supply for witches and ordinary women was very different. They were not even too lazy to use excuses such as "witches' physiques are different from ordinary people and have higher nutritional needs" to make superficial embellishments.
The quality of food for men is between the two, but the nutrition is very balanced. Lean meat, fish, beans, nuts, fruits, vegetables and dairy products can all be found in the special meal. The taste is good and it is free.
It is said that it strictly implements the "Male Nutrition Standards" for the 14 to 18 age group formulated by the Men's Management Department, and the Management Department sends people to inspect every week.
All these efforts will be demanded of men after they become adults: people in the Waite Society want men to get married and have children immediately after they become adults, and men who want to make further progress in their studies and careers will face great social pressure.
During the continuous domestication, Waite men are very weak. They can easily succumb to pressure, accept the arrangements of the Survival Department, marry designated partners, and start their life as husbands.
Foreigners did not have to accept such a cruel fate, so Corneille could sense that there was a lot of hidden jealousy projected onto Dias.
There were frequent witch duels in the cafeteria today, and many witches wanted to show off their skills in front of their guardians and let them see their growth.
Unlike Diaz, who had a casual lifestyle of arriving at school before 8 . and leaving at 14 ., witches, especially those without a family background, lived a hard life.
They have to arrive at school around 5:40 in the morning to start the day's morning exercises; the training class will resume at around 16: when all the boys in the college have left school.
After a short dinner, they returned to the classroom to continue studying magic-related theoretical knowledge, and to prepare for surprise exams and practical training.
These efforts are all aimed at making them the superiors who stand above the 1000 million ordinary people, and also at selecting a few lucky ones to learn field-specific magic and become the superiors who stand above the 47 menial witches.
Although it is hard work, the pressure of competition and visible growth make them willing to join in.
Naturally, they accumulate stress, which they release partly by ordering their lackeys around, partly by spending time with their male classmates, and the last part by dueling.
Corneille described these duels as extremely crude by combat standards, but they were a good way to relieve stress.
If the witches don't use exercise to "relieve their sexual desire", then their followers, who are made up of ordinary women, and their male classmates, will probably be treated in a more violent and pornographic way by these children who are full of energy and pressure.
While Dias was absorbed in the duel (for Dias at the moment, the witches' duel was a high-end game), Corneille secretly asked Anne: "Is Dias doing well in school?"
"From my perspective, it was quite pleasant."
"Thank you for your care, Miss Longueville. I will be relying on you in the future as well."
"No problem, you know, I always stand on Mr. Corneille's side." Anne said with a smile.
"You probably said the same thing to Dias."
"After all, 'having fun' sounds pretty harsh, doesn't it? I need a gentle reason that will convince you to let down your guard and let me in on your life."
"I never thought you were having fun. Miss Longueville, I admire you very much. You live more seriously than most people," said Corneille.
Anne seemed to be humiliated. Her cheeks flushed, and she turned her head away with her arms folded: "Mr. Corneille, you have no manly virtues."
Corneille didn't have such a thing, so it didn't matter. After dinner, he accompanied Dias for a walk on the campus, visited for a while and then went back.
Melusina used teleportation magic to bring him to the secret base, the scene where Corneille read Sister Helena's records, and Don Rodick's refutation of Simone were identified by him as true.
Corneille expressed his conjecture, and Dr. Cecil said: "Memory manipulation? There is no such thing in Waite's magic."
(If her memory was really manipulated, the person who performed the operation on her must have been an acquaintance, and the time must have been earlier than when Tang Rodik and Shimanna got married)
(Although Tang Rodick often travels on business, he spends the rest of his time taking care of his family. He can notice the changes in his wife, so the caster can only make minor repairs to Shimanna's memory when he is not at home.)
Cecil frowned: "So, the main part of Shimanna's abnormal memory was completed during the years when Tang Rodick left his hometown.
Later, the caster followed Shimanna to the Holy Land State and took advantage of Tang Rodik's business trip to cause trouble. Because the memory changes were small, Shimanna's changes were small, and Tang Rodik noticed it, but he didn't suspect it at the time. "
(This also matches what Selina warned Don Rodick before they got married, saying that "Shimana is not clean in both body and mind.")
Corneille said: "Do you remember the ugly puppy described by Shimanna? It coincides with what little Marceau boasted to his friends, and Mr. Tang Luodike revealed that the characteristics of this puppy belonged to an ugly old man.
The ugly old man did not appear in Shimana's married life, and little Masa was born when Shimana was a girl. Their lives were misplaced, but they were connected by a set of distinct characteristics.
Sister Helena, I hope your people will go to Shimana's hometown and investigate the ugly old man, focusing on the characteristics of the beautiful wife he married in his later years."
